Celebrity Hairstylist Jen Atkin Welcomes Baby Boy River Via Surrogate

Khloe Kardashian, Jenna Dewan and more celebrities congratulated new mom Jen Atkin on her son's arrival — read more

Surprise! Celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin revealed on Sunday, March 22, that her first child had arrived via surrogate.

“Never say never,” the Utah native, 41, wrote captioned an Instagram slideshow. “River Julién Rosenthal. We are so in love with this little man.”

Celebrity Hairstylist Jen Atkin Welcomes Baby Boy River Via Surrogate — Jen Atkin with son River. Courtesy of Jen Atkin/Instagram

The new mom went on to joke that she was “good at keeping secrets,” adding, “To keep our quiet peaceful love bubble at home (aka NO barking at the door) we’re asking in lieu of gifts please please visit our donation link (in my bio) in River’s name. We truly don’t need a thing (our parents have been waiting for this day for so long they bought it all). Help us and @baby2baby provide children living in poverty with diapers, clothing and all the basic necessities that every child deserves.”

In the social media upload, Atkin showed her infant in her arms and resting in bed with his dad, photographer Mike Rosenthal.

The Blowing My Way to the Top author received many supportive comments from celebrity parents, including Khloé Kardashian and Jenna Dewan. “Congratulations my boo bear!!!!!!!!! I love you!!!! I love River!!!! I’m so happy for you!!!!!!!!” the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, 36, wrote, while the former World of Dance host, 40, added, “Yayyyyyy!! You are loved baby River!”

In December 2015, the OUAI cocreator wrote via Instagram that she and Rosenthal, 44, had frozen their embryos. “I don’t think it’s anything to feel embarrassed about!” she captioned the post. “I hope that career-driven women can stop feeling the social judgement and pressure once they reach a certain age. How great that Facebook and Apple are now paying for their female employees to have the procedure done ! I had such an amazing experience and HIGHLY recommend it.”

Atkin told Forbes about her decision two years later, saying that she did want kids in the future. “I’m not quite ready, and the minute we did it, the weight of the world was off my shoulders,” she explained in 2017. “Once I opened up that conversation, so many women came forward and said, ‘Thank you.’”

The choice was a “joint” one with Rosenthal, she added at the time. “From day one, Mike and I’ve encouraged each other — our passions, our careers, our hobbies. That’s so important in a partner. Women tend to feel pressured at a certain age to find somebody, and there are people who can really hold you back. I’ve been in those relationships. When I met my husband, I wasn’t looking for somebody to complete me or make me feel good about myself. I was so busy creating my life, pushing toward my goals, and like attracts like.”